Katsura FUNAKOSHI

Exhibition Introduction

Katsura FUNAKOSHI

Katsura Funakoshi (1951–2024) was one of the most prominent sculptors in contemporary Japan. Born into an artistic family in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, his father, Yasutake Funakoshi, was a key sculptor of the Shōwa period known for his realistic portraits infused with Catholic spirituality. After earning his MFA from Tokyo University of the Arts, Funakoshi began developing his signature camphor wood sculptures in the early 1980s. Focused on the human figure, his works blend realistic modeling, spiritual introspection, and surrealist symbolism, significantly shaping the trajectory of modern Japanese sculpture.

Since representing Japan at the 43rd Venice Biennale in 1988, Funakoshi’s works have been featured in major international exhibitions including the 1989 São Paulo Biennial, Documenta IX in 1992, and the inaugural Shanghai Biennale in 2000. His sculptures are in the collections of major institutions such as the British Museum, Museum Ludwig, Centre Pompidou, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2011, he was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon, one of Japan’s highest honors in the arts. Funakoshi passed away in 2024 and was awarded with the Order of the Rising Sun.

Exhibition Introduction

Katsura FUNAKOSHI

Katsura Funakoshi (1951–2024) was one of the most prominent sculptors in contemporary Japan. Born into an artistic family in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, his father, Yasutake Funakoshi, was a key sculptor of the Shōwa period known for his realistic portraits infused with Catholic spirituality. After earning his MFA from Tokyo University of the Arts, Funakoshi began developing his signature camphor wood sculptures in the early 1980s. Focused on the human figure, his works blend realistic modeling, spiritual introspection, and surrealist symbolism, significantly shaping the trajectory of modern Japanese sculpture.

Since representing Japan at the 43rd Venice Biennale in 1988, Funakoshi’s works have been featured in major international exhibitions including the 1989 São Paulo Biennial, Documenta IX in 1992, and the inaugural Shanghai Biennale in 2000. His sculptures are in the collections of major institutions such as the British Museum, Museum Ludwig, Centre Pompidou, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2011, he was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon, one of Japan’s highest honors in the arts. Funakoshi passed away in 2024 and was awarded with the Order of the Rising Sun.

Human Realms — The Realist Portrait and Its Gaze

In the early 1980s, Katsura Funakoshi emerged with a series of highly realistic wooden busts. At a time when Japan was experiencing rapid economic growth and widespread pursuit of material success, his work stood apart—silent, introspective, and spiritually attuned, offering an alternative way of relating to the world.

Influenced from a young age by Auguste Rodin through his sculptor father, Funakoshi deepened his understanding of Western portraiture during his stay in Europe in 1986. While his formal language engages in dialogue with Western sculpture, his emphasis on spiritual presence and the innate qualities of wood resonates deeply with the Buddhist statuary traditions of Japan’s Kei School, particularly the 12th–13th century sculptor Unkei.

Many of his early sculptures are half-length figures, meticulously detailed in face and clothing, modeled after friends, family, or anonymous subjects. Their distant gazes seem suspended in time, fixed within a meditative realm. At times, Funakoshi observed passengers on trains, capturing fleeting glances and transmuting them into timeless expressions through sculpture.

He preserved traces of the carving process, allowing the grain of the camphor wood and rhythm of his chisel marks to remain visible. Subtle coloration and pencil lines on the surface lend the works painterly nuances and a soft luminosity. The figures' eyes, inlaid with marble that mimics the striation of real irises, intensify the mysterious emotional depth of their gaze.

Human Realms — The Realist Portrait and Its Gaze

In the early 1980s, Katsura Funakoshi emerged with a series of highly realistic wooden busts. At a time when Japan was experiencing rapid economic growth and widespread pursuit of material success, his work stood apart—silent, introspective, and spiritually attuned, offering an alternative way of relating to the world.

Influenced from a young age by Auguste Rodin through his sculptor father, Funakoshi deepened his understanding of Western portraiture during his stay in Europe in 1986. While his formal language engages in dialogue with Western sculpture, his emphasis on spiritual presence and the innate qualities of wood resonates deeply with the Buddhist statuary traditions of Japan’s Kei School, particularly the 12th–13th century sculptor Unkei.

Many of his early sculptures are half-length figures, meticulously detailed in face and clothing, modeled after friends, family, or anonymous subjects. Their distant gazes seem suspended in time, fixed within a meditative realm. At times, Funakoshi observed passengers on trains, capturing fleeting glances and transmuting them into timeless expressions through sculpture.

He preserved traces of the carving process, allowing the grain of the camphor wood and rhythm of his chisel marks to remain visible. Subtle coloration and pencil lines on the surface lend the works painterly nuances and a soft luminosity. The figures' eyes, inlaid with marble that mimics the striation of real irises, intensify the mysterious emotional depth of their gaze.

In Between — The Spiritual Portrait on Paper

Since the mid-1980s, Funakoshi also produced a large number of works on paper—prints, drawings, and watercolors. Although often echoing the figures in his sculptures, these works are not preparatory sketches but fully realized artworks that have been frequently exhibited. They extend his ongoing inquiry into stillness, symbolism, and the act of gazing, while allowing more imaginative and surrealistic elements to emerge.
Technically, Funakoshi experimented with various printmaking methods, including mezzotint, aquatint, and woodblock printing. These techniques enhanced the tonal depth and delicate textures of his compositions, rendering his figures with a sculptural presence on paper. His line work and color palette parallel the textures and soft hues of his wooden sculptures, establishing a dialogue between the two mediums and forging a unique crossover between the pictorial and the sculptural.
His drawings and prints have resonated far beyond the visual arts. The quiet solitude and spiritual gravity of his figures have made them icons within Japanese literature and popular culture. His works have been chosen as cover art for several renowned novels, including The Light of the Strait by Hitonari Tsuji and The Mourner and Eternal Child by Arata Tendo—attesting to their status as universal symbols of introspection and the human spirit.

In Between — The Spiritual Portrait on Paper

Since the mid-1980s, Funakoshi also produced a large number of works on paper—prints, drawings, and watercolors. Although often echoing the figures in his sculptures, these works are not preparatory sketches but fully realized artworks that have been frequently exhibited. They extend his ongoing inquiry into stillness, symbolism, and the act of gazing, while allowing more imaginative and surrealistic elements to emerge.
Technically, Funakoshi experimented with various printmaking methods, including mezzotint, aquatint, and woodblock printing. These techniques enhanced the tonal depth and delicate textures of his compositions, rendering his figures with a sculptural presence on paper. His line work and color palette parallel the textures and soft hues of his wooden sculptures, establishing a dialogue between the two mediums and forging a unique crossover between the pictorial and the sculptural.
His drawings and prints have resonated far beyond the visual arts. The quiet solitude and spiritual gravity of his figures have made them icons within Japanese literature and popular culture. His works have been chosen as cover art for several renowned novels, including The Light of the Strait by Hitonari Tsuji and The Mourner and Eternal Child by Arata Tendo—attesting to their status as universal symbols of introspection and the human spirit.

Illusory Realms — Hybrid Beings and Surreal Visions

From the 1990s onward, Funakoshi's sculptures became increasingly surreal and symbolic. Hybrid figures bearing creature characteristics began to appear. This shift coincided with a period of cultural anxiety in Japan—marked by the collapse of the economic bubble, the Great Hanshin Earthquake, and the Tokyo subway sarin attack—which spurred a broader interest in spirituality, hybridity, and the otherworldly in art and literature.
The mythic presence and creature-human fusion in Funakoshi's work reflect this cultural milieu. These hybrid figures suggest not only symbolic or religious associations but also a critique of anthropocentrism. Influenced by Surrealism, he embraced a language of inner transformation and transcendence. Around 2010, his Sphinx series emerged as a landmark body of work, epitomizing his surrealist phase and becoming among his most recognized creations.
Throughout his career, Funakoshi remained apart from trends such as Superflat or the resurgence of Pop art. His sculptures consistently conveyed a profound sense of time and a quiet gaze, engaging with the inner states and spiritual dimensions of human existence. His impact can be seen across the field of contemporary sculpture, both in Japan and internationally. Many Japanese artists cite his unwavering commitment to spiritual depth as a guiding inspiration.
In 2024, Katsura Funakoshi passed away in his hometown of Morioka. Yet his sculptures continue to gaze quietly at the bustling world, offering steadfast spiritual presence amidst the transience of life.

Illusory Realms — Hybrid Beings and Surreal Visions

From the 1990s onward, Funakoshi's sculptures became increasingly surreal and symbolic. Hybrid figures bearing creature characteristics began to appear. This shift coincided with a period of cultural anxiety in Japan—marked by the collapse of the economic bubble, the Great Hanshin Earthquake, and the Tokyo subway sarin attack—which spurred a broader interest in spirituality, hybridity, and the otherworldly in art and literature.
The mythic presence and creature-human fusion in Funakoshi's work reflect this cultural milieu. These hybrid figures suggest not only symbolic or religious associations but also a critique of anthropocentrism. Influenced by Surrealism, he embraced a language of inner transformation and transcendence. Around 2010, his Sphinx series emerged as a landmark body of work, epitomizing his surrealist phase and becoming among his most recognized creations.
Throughout his career, Funakoshi remained apart from trends such as Superflat or the resurgence of Pop art. His sculptures consistently conveyed a profound sense of time and a quiet gaze, engaging with the inner states and spiritual dimensions of human existence. His impact can be seen across the field of contemporary sculpture, both in Japan and internationally. Many Japanese artists cite his unwavering commitment to spiritual depth as a guiding inspiration.
In 2024, Katsura Funakoshi passed away in his hometown of Morioka. Yet his sculptures continue to gaze quietly at the bustling world, offering steadfast spiritual presence amidst the transience of life.